Page 53 of For You
It had her daring to think that the future might justbreak her way after all.
***
The meeting was a week later. The house was painted, andshe’d even put in new kitchen cabinets. Her shoulders were sore, and her backwas screaming bloody murder at her, but the manual labor had done her somegood.
The meeting was not in the usual building where she’dalways reported for work. This office was two blocks over, in a satelliteoffice away from the field office. Morgan had only ever been there forconferences and team drills. When she arrived there, she took the elevator to thethird floor as her email had directed.
As the elevator doors opened, Morgan found herself in asleek, modern office space. The walls were glass, and the furniture was allminimalist and high-end. It was a far cry from the drab, government-issuedfurnishings of the FBI’s main building.
A young woman in a sharp black pantsuit greeted her atthe door with a smile. “Agent Cross, welcome. Please follow me.”
Morgan followed the woman into a conference room whereshe was greeted by Deputy Director Irvin, a man she had only seen a handful oftimes in her career. He was a tall, imposing figure with a sharp jawline andpiercing blue eyes. He didn’t look particularly pleased to see her.
“Agent Cross. Thank you for coming.” His voice was coldand formal. He gestured to the small conference table in the middle of the roomand said, “Please have a seat.”
Morgan sat down, feeling a bit nervous. She had no ideawhat this meeting was about, and the fact that Deputy Director Irvin himselfhad requested it made her even more uneasy. It didn’t help that they were theonly two in the room.
Morgan nodded, taking a seat at the conference table. “Ofcourse. Though I have no idea why I’m here.”
Irvin sat down across from her and leaned across thetable slightly. “I’ll get straight to the point. Before your time in prison,did you enjoy your time with the BAU?”
“I did. Yes, sir.”
“And other than his not coming to your side immediatelywhen the shit hit the fan, did you ever have any grievances with AD Mueller?”
She considered the answer for a moment and decided to beas honest as possible. “He was never an easy man to work for. He would befriendly and helpful one day and then almost spiteful the next. I will say,though, that it wasn’t until my trial came around that I ever actually felt asif he never had my best interest in mind.”
“I could see that, absolutely. Now, as for you…first andforemost, I understand that you’ve been through a lot recently,” Irvin said,leaning back in his chair. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience, and Iwant to make sure that you’re okay.”
Morgan nodded, not sure where this was going. “I’m okay,thank you for your concern.”
“Good. But I’m not just here to check on your well-being.I’m here to offer you a job.”
Morgan frowned. “Mueller already offered me a spot back.”
“Yes, but he wanted you on a lengthy probation periodfirst,” Irvin said. “Mueller doesn’t know, but I’m going over his head. I wantyou back in, Morgan, sooner than later.”
Confusion flitted through Morgan’s mind. She’d thoughtshe was still in hot water, not exactly desired here, at least according toMueller. “Sir, I appreciate that, but can I ask why?”
He drew a breath. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve beenpaying attention to the news, but people are becoming very sympathetic to you.The details of your case are coming back up and a whistleblower somewherewithin the bureau has released details about how sloppily and lazily thingswere handled when it came to proclaiming your innocence. And a lot of thatfalls on Mueller.”
“Oh,” she said, surprised that she almost felt guiltyabout this.
“He’ll be notified of this tomorrow, so I’d appreciateyour discretion until then. Mueller has good standing with the FBI, but thisone’s my call.” Irvin leaned forward, his expression softening slightly. “Listen,Cross, I’ll be straight with you. I think you deserve a second chance. I believethat you have what it takes to lead, someday. You’ve already proven that you’rea talented agent. And I think you have the drive and determination to make areal difference here. I want you working as a Special Agent here in the Dallasoffice.”
Morgan considered his words carefully. It was true thatshe had always aspired to a leadership position within the bureau, back whenshe had dreams of the future, before she’d been locked away. And the prospectof working alongside Derik again in an official capacity was certainlyappealing. But she also knew that this offer came with a lot of risk.
“What about the other agents in the Dallas office? Won’tthey feel like I’m being given special treatment?”
Irvin nodded. “There will be some resentment, I’m sure.But the truth is, there’s already some tension among the agents here. And Ithink that having a strong, capable agent like you around could actually helpease some of that tension.Whether you want to accept it or not, you’re acelebrity at the moment. I think everyone here knows it would make sense togive you such a role. And with Agent Greene…I feel very good about thisdecision. You two make a great team. Would be a shame to let it all go towaste.”
She nodded and then had a powerful thought—a thought thatbasically made the decision for her.
Working in the department again meant access to greatresources and research. And even with Mueller sniffing around, she clearly hadthe favor of her higher-ups. She could use this.
It meant she would be able to look into who framed herwithout fear of being caught or stopped by higher-ups.
“When would I start?” she asked.
“I do agree with Mueller on this. You need some time toadjust…though I think three months might be a bit much. If you were to acceptthis job, I’d ask you to begin when you’re ready. Weeks, months. The decision isyours.”
She pretended to think it over, though her mind wasalready made up.
She’d be starting right away.
Morgan smiled across the table and offered her hand. “Thankyou, sir. I can’t wait to get started.”